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BY BOBBY HALTON |
President George Washington stands today as arguably one of the most dignified and respected men of all time. Unquestionably, he set the standards for deportment for Americans. All accounts of him speak of how he was unfalteringly dignified in his public conduct. His supporters and detractors alike attested to his courtesy to others and praised him for his respect for all and his honest and deep humility. Washington was able to manage all his interactions with incredible distinction despite his shortcomings. Besides his dignity, he was also very well known for having a volatile and short temper, which he struggled to control and often wrote of with regret.
Washington was credited for understanding at an early age that our behavior and actions affect not only ourselves but those around us as well. It is a well-documented story that as a boy he copied a manual for personal behavior called “The Rules for Civility and Decent Behavior.” The book was originally written in the 16th century by Jesuit scholars and went through several translations before an impressionable young George Washington copied it for himself.
One of the rules of civility found in Washington’s treasured book was #56: “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.” This is sage advice: Whom we choose to associate with can have a deep and lasting impact on us and how others see us.
As firefighters, we need to determine what exactly a “good quality” is and how to recognize one when we see it. What some see as a good quality might not be seen in the same way by others. Quality has a lot to do with perspectives, principles, and morals.
Every one of us, usually around high-school age, has heard our parents say, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” At the time, we may not have understood our parents admonitions and probably argued passionately for our right to associate with whom we pleased. We continued our relationships with those questionable characters we justified on the basis that we had the ability to measure a person’s worth and righteousness until, generally, we found ourselves sitting in the principal’s office in trouble and wishing we had never met “you know whom.” There are countless stories of people suffering terrible fates as a result of guilt by association, none more tragic, and possibly as illustrative, as that of Mary Surratt.
Surratt, an innkeeper, was a widow and had a son. She was a deeply religious Catholic woman and a Confederate sympathizer living in Virginia during the Civil War. She was known to express her support of the Confederate cause, and others who shared her views would frequent her establishment for food and drink and to socialize with other likeminded citizens of the day. Her son also had Confederate sympathies, and although he was never convicted of any subversive activities, he was long suspected to be much more involved than his mother.
One of the men and several of his associates who frequented Surratt’s inn was John Wilkes Booth. Because of his multiple visits and other supporting testimony-but no solid evidence of any participation by Surratt in the planning or execution of the assassination of President Lincoln other than they met several times in her property-she was arrested and tried for Lincoln’s murder.
Surratt was convicted and sentenced to hang. At approximately 1:26 p.m. on July 7, 1865, she, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, the other convicted members of the conspiracy, were brought out onto the gallows. Because it was feared that she would pass out while awaiting her execution, Surratt was bound hands and feet and seated in a chair. To her last breath, she proclaimed her innocence. She was the first woman executed by hanging by the United States government.
There are ways to recognize quality individuals: Men and women of character have a true set of moral principles that they exhibit in their behavior. When you look closely at someone’s character, you see a distinctive combination of personal qualities that make up his personality; in quality individuals, you see moral strength or integrity.
Today to understand character and morality, we turn to the modern philosopher James Q. Wilson, who pointed out that “a good character arises from the repetition of many small acts, and begins early in youth. That habituation operates on a human nature innately prepared to respond to training.”
Quality individuals are those men and women of noble character, people who in today’s terms always do the right thing regardless of the opportunity or reward. They are quality individuals who do the right thing out of habit. And when we look at the habits these people who inspire us have, especially firefighters who inspire, we see several recurring character traits. Most are extremely courteous and polite; they display a tremendous amount of empathy for others and deeply care about their problems in an honest and sincere way.
We also notice that quality individuals are usually very punctual and very attentive. This shows that they are devoted to their duty and are very responsible in how they go about their work. Quality individuals are also habitual trainers: They don’t practice something once or twice, but they do it thousands of times, always with the goal of becoming proficient in the exercise of their duties.
Every firefighter would do well to remember George Washington’s advice and choose his associates wisely. And as we choose our company, we should look for those quality individuals who are courteous and punctual and who display a love of practice.
